AS Monaco – PSG

The Monégasques will lose to the capital’s players in the very first match.

The current format of the Champions League has proven itself. Now even clubs like PSG have every chance to miss out on the top 8 and face the inconveniences of participating in an extra round of the playoffs. At the same time, PSG's eleventh place in the overall standings of the elite European tournament can, to some extent, be considered progress. In the triumphant last edition, Luis Enrique's team finished fifteenth and, before the final rounds of the group stage, faced the risk of elimination. PSG now competes in the Champions League as the reigning European champions, but the form of its players often raises questions. Last Friday Rennes exposed PSG's problems by beating them 3-1. PSG defenders kept making mistakes, gifting chances at their goal, while attackers such as Due, Kvaratskhelia, Dembele, and Barcola either lost the ball or failed to convert the chances created by their teammates. The current situation in Paris cannot yet be called a crisis, but such circumstances undoubtedly increase Monaco's chances in the qualifying round of the playoffs. Moreover, the Monégasques have already endured the sharpest phase of their crisis. It is hard to overestimate this club's results, but the most problematic part of their game, which is the defense, has been somewhat refined by Sebastien Pocognoli. Bookmakers have named the guests favorites for the upcoming match, offering odds of 1.53 on their victory. In the first round of the current Ligue 1 season, Monaco beat PSG for the first time in three years. Then at Louis II Stadium the referees recorded a final score of 1-0 in a fairly evenly matched game. It was during that period that Monaco last did not lose to PSG, at least in two consecutive matches. The Parisians have one established sequence that should reassure them ahead of the upcoming meeting. Since mid-October last year, PSG have not suffered a slip in two consecutive matches. After a draw or a defeat by Enrique's team, a victory invariably followed, regardless of the tournament or opponent. Most likely Rennes has sufficiently boosted the players from Paris, so they will be motivated to finish off the acute phase of the rivalry with Monaco already after the first leg.